Means for extracting gold from river-beds.



' J. H. BATTEN.

MEANS FOR EXTRACTING GOLD FROM RVER BEDS. APPLICATION HLBD Nov.1, 1909.

962,612; Patented June-28,1910.

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To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. BATTEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county of Tuolumne and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Extracting Gold from River-Beds; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying draw ings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to mining machinery and particularly to a means for mining for gold in the gravel or sand of river beds, the object of the invention being to produce a means for displacing the water from points in the river bed and permitting the operator to work uninterruptedly therein in securing the gold from the gravel or sand, the scheme of the invention being to produce a drum or other receptacle having a compressed air supply whereby said receptacle can be lowered to the bed of the river, displacing the water inside of it and the air being supplied to the receptacle as desired while the operator is working therein.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device for the purpose and still one which will be eX- ceedingly eifective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will more fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The figure in the drawings is a sectional view of the complete device.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings 1 designates a drum or other similar receptacle adapted to be lowered to the bottom 2 of a rivet 3. Aro-und the bottom edge of said drum 1 is an iron band 4:. At a point higher up and submerged beneath the water is another band 5 having a flange 6 to receive stay guys 7. At the top of the drum is still another band 8 having a flange 9 to receive stay,y guys 10.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 28, 1910.

Application filed November 1, 1909.

Serial No. 525,621.

In the top of the drum 1 is a hole 11, the surrounding edge of said hole having a depending inwardly projecting ange 12 sustaining a top transparent cover 13, such as glass or other suitable material. Communicating with said drum 1 and disposed at right angles thereto is a man way 14: having an outer door 15 opening to the atmosphere and an inner door 16 opening into the drum 1, there being stair rods 17 inside the drum 1 leading from said door 16 to the bottom of the drum. The water is held out of the drum 1 by compressed air admitted into said drum 1 through a valve 18 from a reservoir 19, such reservoir being supplied by an air pump 20 operated by a lever 21 or other suitable power. Any seepage water in the drum 1 is drawn through a hose 22 out through a discharge valve 23.

In practice the operator enters the man way 141, closing the door l5 and thus maintains the pressure in the said drum 1, and then he opens the door 16 and enters into the said drum 1, and then closes the said door 16, the compressed air leaving the interior bottom of the drum free from water to be properly worked to find the gold in the gravel or sand.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

l/Vhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A device of the character described comprising a drum, means admitting compressed air to said drum, a man way disposed at right angles to said drum, a door opening from said man way to the atmosphere and a door opening from said man way into said drum.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. BATTEN.

Witnesses:

PEROY S. WEBSTER, J osHUA B. WEBSTER. 

